HOW TO HAVE A HEALTHY RETIREMENT

Small changes that keep you fit. This week: switch off the TV. PLONKING yourself on the sofa to watch TV is one way to relax — but doing it too often can take years off your life.

Australian researchers generated life-expectancy tables based on information from the National Bureau of Statistics and a study of the TV viewing habits of 11,000 people.

They found those who watch six hours of TV a day live an average 4.8 years less than those who don’t watch any TV. Every hour of TV watched after 25 is associated with a 22- minute reduction in life expectancy.

The beneficial effects of doing something rather than sitting in front of the telly continue into old age. A study of 70 to 82-year-olds in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed those who moved more were up to 69 per cent less likely to die within the study period.